Greetings!  

 While some folks complain the US and UK are deluged with charity events, the concept of asking peers to sponsor your run, walk, ride or other outing is relatively rare in Europe, according to the founders of Emolife, a Netherlands-based company determined to change that. 

Street marketing -- face-to-face solicitation on busy byways or door to door -- is far more common than athletic event marketing in Europe, Emolife founders Bert Cocu and Kees van Maren told me during a recent visit to their Amsterdam office. 

In fact, street marketing was the main focus of the Dutch duot's work until they caught the event bug a few years ago.

In 2011, Emolife is fielding 17 programs with nonprofits in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Sweden.   Emolife owns and licenses some events and provides consulting and management services to clients on others.    Their event portfolio divides into three categories:

Friends & Family:  Walks, runs and rides for groups such as the Red Nose Race for CliniClowns, Run for Kika (fighting children's cancer) and the Netherlands Red Cross Hike + Bike. 

Sports Challenges:  Multiday and marathon events such as a sailing, hiking, canoeing and mountain biking for the World Wildlife Fund, a seven-day ride across the Netherlands and Luxembourg for Duchenne Heroes, and Tour for Life, a seven-day team cycling event for Doctors Without Borders.

Ban Poverty Classics:  Adventure travel cycling programs in Africa and Latin America for European development groups working in those areas.

If launching new events weren't enough of a challenge, Emolife contends in each country it enters with different cultural norms about peer-to-peer fundraising, nonprofit attitudes towards investing in events and regulatory issues.   France -- big surprise -- has been the most challenging market for Emolife to break.

Want to go on a European thon fundraising field trip this fall?   Click here for a directory of Emolife's upcoming events.  

David Hessekiel

President

Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council